Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SE) is urged to carry out inspections in areas suspected of having illegal electricity connections, particularly around Taman Moonee, the junction after the tyre shop and roads near the cemetery area here.
A spokesperson for the Jalan Lintas Fire and Rescue Department said several illegal electrical connections had been found laid directly on the ground in the affected areas, posing a serious safety hazard to both the public and emergency responders.
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The spokesperson said such illegal connections, commonly found in squatter settlements, not only violate electricity regulations but also present a potentially fatal risk.
“Whenever firefighters respond to grass or bush fires, they must exercise extreme caution because there is always the risk of stepping on live electrical cables laid on the ground.
“During recent grass fire operations, our personnel came across electrical cables placed directly on the ground. Imagine if a firefighter were to accidentally step on one of these live wires while carrying out his duties,” the spokesperson said when contacted on Wednesday.
He said the situation was particularly alarming as firefighters could be electrocuted if the cables were still carrying live current.
According to the spokesperson, most of the illegal connections involved large cables spliced together and wrapped only with ordinary plastic, significantly increasing the risk of electrocution.
“Some of these connected wires are merely covered with simple plastic wrapping, but the danger remains if someone steps on them. We do not want any untoward incidents to occur while our personnel are carrying out rescue and firefighting duties,” he said.
The spokesperson also referred to a recent incident in Sandakan in which a firefighter reportedly died after stepping on a live electrical wire while extinguishing a grass fire.
“We do not want such a tragedy to happen again. Our duty is to put out fires and save lives, not to risk the lives of our personnel because of dangerous illegal electricity connections,” he said.
He hoped the relevant authorities, including SE, would take immediate action to detect and remove illegal electricity connections to safeguard both residents and emergency response personnel.
